Protect before you close anything
The first instinct is often to cancel and close. Hold off on the two accounts that everything else depends on: your parent's email and their phone number. Password resets, security codes and account notices keep arriving there. Closing either one too early can lock the family out of everything else.
Keep the phone charged and the line active while you work through the list, and keep any devices in a safe place. Don't try to guess passcodes on a locked phone, and don't sign in to accounts as your parent. Each company has its own process for families, and using it keeps the estate on solid ground.
Your small next steps
Work through the accounts in this order
Most families find this order keeps surprises to a minimum. Check off each one as you go:
- Money: bank and credit card accounts, investments, PayPal, Venmo and similar apps. Contact each company through its official process.
- Recurring charges: subscriptions, streaming, memberships and autopays. Use the statements to find them.
- Photos and files: iCloud, Google Photos, Dropbox, and any computer or hard drive. Request copies before any account is closed.
- Apple and Google accounts: use a Legacy Contact or Inactive Account Manager plan if your parent set one up, or each company's request form.
- Social media: Facebook, Instagram and others offer memorial or removal options.
- Shopping and services: Amazon, utilities, loyalty programs, airline miles and rewards points.
- Email and phone number: close or transfer these last, once nothing important depends on them.
Your small next steps
Share the work, and write it down
Settling a parent's digital life can take months, and it goes better with more than one person. Divide the categories among siblings or family members, with the executor coordinating. Keep a shared list of every account, who is handling it, and what was done. It prevents double work and helps the executor show what has been settled.
Your small next steps
Make the list before it's needed
This checklist is far easier when your parent has already written down where their accounts are. A short list of important accounts, who should handle them, and where the passcodes are kept turns months of searching into an afternoon. If your parent is still here, start that list together.
Your small next steps
The thing to remember
Close the email and phone number last. They're the keys to everything else.
General educational information only—not legal, financial, or security advice. Provider features and local laws can change. Use official provider guidance and consult a qualified professional for your circumstances.